


Infinitesimal You and I

by dancingontightrope



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Fluff, Hugging, M/M, Manga Spoilers, TKS, TheKingdomofShipping, huge brainfart, unbeta’d
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:55:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24098434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancingontightrope/pseuds/dancingontightrope
Summary: Tsukasa contemplates aboard the Perseus, his revival and the seemingly impossible route to the future. Senku assures him of his importance in the greater scheme of things. This was their world, this was their space.
Relationships: Ishigami Senkuu/Shishiou Tsukasa
Comments: 1
Kudos: 51





	Infinitesimal You and I

It was one of those nights right after deciding which route they would take to get to America; the seas were calm, the wind on their side, all signs pointed to a peaceful voyage. Tsukasa stood at the end of the ship, looking at the sea trail they left, into the blackness of the direction where they came from. 

As he contemplates some more, the more it seems too surreal, everything that has happened in all too-recent years since he opened his eyes from depetrification. Until now it was difficult to grasp how much time has passed and how far they’ve come, as ironically as it seemed, waking up in a Stone World. Yet now he stood here, as an ally, as an important piece in their road to the Moon.

He closed his eyes and basked in the quiet sound of the waves lapping against the ship; took in the sea breeze caressing his skin. There was a vast difference from the last sound he heard before he completely lost his consciousness as he went under, but such sound nothing he would like to forget.

Hand tightening around the weapon he held, Tsukasa’s thoughts went back to the last few moments he spent with Senku. He remembered how he had steeled his resolve, that he was ready to give up his life even though there was no certainty of when he'd come back to this world. That he was ready to give up the very person who vowed to bring him back no matter what. That he was ready to give up another chance to redeem himself, to prove himself worthy despite being in complete opposition in the beginning. His consciousness drifted, his body felt heavy, his breathing grew slower against his will, and then there was nothing.

But now, here he stands along with them. Darkness ended in his mind and he was brought back into the light. The irony of the one who brought him death was the same person who gave him life again only brought a smile on his lips. The last person he laid his eyes on turned out to be the first sight he was greeted with upon opening them again. The last person who he shared his last breath with was the first one who gave it back.

As crude as it sounds in his head, he wouldn’t mind being killed by this same person, over and over and over again.

Just then, an all-too familiar voice gently pulled him out of his reverie. “You should take it easy; I’m ten billion percent sure we’ve got no enemy here.” 

The warrior kept his sight straight ahead as he replied, “That sounds so strange, coming from you. Do we not consider our Why-Man as an enemy? Someone who can petrify all of us in an instant if he commands to?” It was a ruse; he knew what he asked was fallacious the moment he spoke.

“He is. An enemy, that is. But if he had the means, then he would have done so before without waiting for a strike. There should be a limit to this and if it’s science we’re talking about, he’s still bound by rules.” He shrugs, “As long as we have that, then all we gotta do is push through with what we have, step by step.”

There was a quirk of his mouth as he grinned, and suddenly, it felt as though all was right in the world.

Tsukasa let out a huff, and chuckled in spite of himself as he placed his weapon against the wooden railing. “It should be my job to keep you all from feeling uneasy from the unknown we face, yet here you are, calming the nerves like this is just another experiment a kid can solve.” He looked at the scientist, taking in the sensation of him being lulled to comfort simply by his reassuring words.

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Just being practical and factual. There’s no use worrying about what we know is inevitable and imminent; it’ll just wear us down some more when all we need to do is conserve our energy to what’s right in front of us.” Senku rested his hands on his hips as he rounded on Tsukasa.

“And by that, I meant no dwelling in the past either. We’ve got our own heavy baggage as it is; we don’t need those on the ship.” The way he weaved those words were meant to be light, but he looked at the warrior straight to his eyes, unwavering and serious.

Take it from Senku to know the ins and outs of your brain and reach a conclusion with littlest information available. Him standing there must have been a great giveaway and those scarlet eyes did nothing but strip him naked to his core. But they were not demeaning in any way; unthreatening at the very least. They simply shred him of self-berating thoughts to focus on the future. With him in it.

“Senku, I—“ The scientist simply closed the distance between them and clamped his mouth shut with his hands with all the strength and height he could muster considering their difference. 

“Save it. Ahh, no. On second thought, stop right there and leave it. Ahh, where the heck did that come from?” His breath shook as he looked at him dead in the eye, challenging and unrelenting yet soft and forgiving.

It was unusual to see him losing composure, but it was nonetheless amusing for Tsukasa. A small voice in his head wished it was only around him who Senku would show this side to. He looked down at him and was met with slightly defiant glare. One that he drank for as long as he could as they kept standing there, Senku’s hands covering his mouth and holding his breath as though he had a pair against his own.

Curious. It wasn’t like him at all to be this silent at all. So Tsukasa took that chance and reached to hold the smaller hands in his.

“I’d ask for forgiveness not only to you but for everyone I have wronged no matter how futile they may be, but for now, allow me tell you this,” he held their hands together between them as he continued to look at Senku, bathed in bright yellow light from the ship’s source, eyes wide from the contact that was reciprocated, lips slightly agape as though unsure of what was transpiring. “Thank you for letting me stay by your side.”

He must have been wearing an expression that the other wasn’t prepared for, but Senku, being the obstinate guy that he is, didn’t back down and simply stared back despite the apparent chaos in his eyes. Even in the dark, he could make out the red that dusted the other’s cheek, eyes near to tears sparkling in the faintest light. What he wouldn’t give to keep it all to himself.

“You idiot,” he looked away as he whispered, voice cracking as he did so. “That goes without saying. I’ve already told you... I wouldn’t have brought you back if there’s no other reason to.” 

Tsukasa felt his heart soar with that, like he was brought back in that cave and laid his eyes on Senku as though seeing him for the first time. Unblinded by his own visions, but clear as day, the light that dipped in the darkness of death.

Logically speaking, if he had interpreted it objectively, there was no reason for him to feel this way. They were bound by circumstances and on to a greater cause than their measly, childish thoughts. Then again, the Senku in front of him stood like an embodiment of contradiction, seemingly disinterested with this usual level of honesty yet physically unable to deter emotions seeping through his facade.

If there were gods, he’d certainly be punished for taking advantage of the hesitation of the other man in front of him. The way he stood his ground as though waiting for something, the way his eyes stared on the wooden floorboards yet completely aware of the other’s eyes on him, the way he held the warrior’s hands in an iron grip—all these passing in a mere second yet seemed to stretch in an eternity. They all called out to him. He called out to him. And as if on cue, Tsukasa pulled him into a tight embrace, unwilling to let him go again. That if it were possible to absorb him into his own body, to make them one, he would do so.

He closed his eyes and savored the moment of them together like this. Warmth mingling, guarded by the cape that now covered them both. In it, Tsukasa knew the other would no doubt hear his heart ramming against his chest; the only thing he wished at the moment was for him to realize that it wasn’t just the nerves, or the fact that he was afraid of death himself, but of losing Senku all over again.

Tsukasa stooped down a little just so he’d be able to rest his head on Senku’s shoulder, breathed in the scent of the forest along with the chemicals that the other oh so loved. Somewhere in there was a touch of sweetness and mint, of trees and earth. He took them in and basked in them like they were life-giving. He sighed his name over and over, a mantra, a prayer on his lips to convince himself that this was not just a fever dream.

“Senku...”

And in response that he never expected, the other clung onto him, wrapped his arms around his chest, reached all the way to his back and gripped his clothes. “Tsukasa, it’s really you... You’re alive...”

His chest heaved at that, and while Senku whispered his name, it came to him so loud as though it was shouted across the sea, to the ends of the earth, for the whole world to hear. “I’m here.”

They stood there unmoving, afraid that if they broke off they’d never be given another chance to be alone like this. Afraid that if so much a millimeter of deviation would cause this space of safety to crumble and they’d be thrown into chaos once more. Afraid that so much as a breath of wind would simply blow off this reality. Tsukasa wouldn’t have that... Just when they’ve only recently reunited. So they kept there for as long and as steady as they could, the silence of their own space enveloping them, akin to the vacuum of the universe they created from their own energies.

**

It wasn’t as though Senku was incapable of feeling, or that he thinks human emotions are something that holds no place in the greater scheme of things, scientifically-wise. His only gripe with them, especially with terms like love is that they generally make people irrational that they can’t see the exact course of circumstances in front of them. It enables them to be illogical as the judgement is clouded by excess of hormones secreted by the brain; the cortisol being secreted by the adrenalin cortex simply exceeds the normal value necessary to function, thereby kicking the flight or flight response by the autonomic nervous system. It yields a lot of wasted energy. People under such influence are not as logical in contrast to normal behavior in usual circumstances. He dislikes being unable to control his responses, especially the his objective perception of things.

Then again, there are exceptions to the rule and as much as he tries to bury the cause of it in his situation at the back of his mind, it’s difficult. With how things are going lately, he’s ten billion percent sure he’d throw off his previous claims because the exception to the very rule he set himself was right here, embracing him.

He was fine being thought off as cold and uncaring. But everything he’s done, all decisions he has made up until this point are not mere whims just so he can show them his confidence in achieving the impossible. When he said he’d bring him back, he had all the intention to do so no matter how long it took, no matter how difficult it would be, no matter how impossible it may seem with all they uncertainties ahead of them. So when they finally brought him back, he didn’t expect a single word of gratitude because that’s how friends are. That’s how things are for people you consider important.

But when he was told of his gratitude for being able to stay by his side, like being granted a second chance, he didn’t feel at all worthy of it. He should be the one saying it to him, for it was because of this man that he was able to risk his life to save him. That he was able to go on, for every step he took was so they can fight alongside each other again. So they can save the world together.

It was difficult to fathom the emotions he kept under for a long that started to surface the moment he took his hands and stared right at him. That the moment he was pulled for an embrace was the only time he realized that he succeeded, they succeeded in their mission. That it was really him, he’s real, he’s alive, and it was his saving grace.

The way he breathed his name and whispered it against his ear were like triggers in his body, making him reach out more, touch him all over, embrace him tighter. No, Senku wasn’t at all incapable of feeling. He’s human after all. And this man right here made sure of that.

***

Snapping him out of his headspace were light pats on his arm and a muffled voice against his head. “I can’t breathe—” to which he immediately let go and held Senku by his shoulders.

“I’m sorry, I—“ he started, but was caught off guard seeing the other’s face; it was red as a beet. He was torn between laughing and feeling sorry, if it weren’t for the apparent tear-stained cheeks and slightly puffy eyes staring right at him.

He held up a hand as though to stop him from apologizing for seeing his face as though he caused it (which in all actuality, he did, but not on a negative note), and said, “I’m fine. It was just a little stuffy in there. I mean—“ he didn’t catch himself on time and it was a little embarrassing, he felt his face heat some more.

“But was it good?” This brute of a man just let that roll off his tongue so effortlessly and needless to say, struck a nerve on Senku enough for him to retort out of embarrassment.

“Shut up, you-! How can you just say things like that?” The scientist tried to get the larger man’s hands off his shoulders so he could put ample space between them. Anything to get away from this lion, else he’d really be eaten. “If I knew you’d be this insufferable…” He trailed off.

“I was just teasing.” Tsukasa laughed, the low rumble of his voice sent unexpected shivers down his spine.

It was apparent how Senku was trying to hide his embarrassment as he shifted away from the other and leaned against the wooden rails of the ship. “I should have left you there to rot,” he mumbled.

There was only a light chuckle as the other laid a part of his cape on his shoulders. He kept his distance but continued to stare at the platinum-haired man beside him. They let silence permeate between them again, this time it was light and soft, something similar to the calmness of the earth right before dawn. They were content.

“It was… nice,” Suddenly it was all too warm again as he heard Senku say it softly. He reached out to touch his cheek and wipe the tear threatening to fall from the corner of his eye. The softness against his fingertips lingered, and he wished he could take it all into his hands.

He continued to stare on his profile, still quite in disbelief for having been able to caress him without a sign of protest. There was nothing but chaos in his head, but he was certain there was nothing in it at the same time, just one simple thought: he’s beautiful.

Senku took his hand and laced their fingers together; the warrior’s big, rough hand was warm on his own, the marks of endless fights in the past tell a story that no one else knows. He traced the knuckles littered with scars, each one bearing a reason to continue his battles. He couldn’t help but think there might be more in this dangerous future they have ahead of them, but there was no need to apologize for it; they knew it was all for a greater cause. He gripped his hand a little tighter; this was his anchor as they ventured forth. He looked at Tsukasa who answered him with the same conviction etched in his eyes, a chaste kiss at the back of his hand, a breath of reassurance and comfort and he thought, that was all he needed.

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: I just gave Tsukasa a “no thoughts head empty” meme in a creative form HAHAH our guy is so whipped I felt secondhand embarrassment jfc //sweats. I’m so sorry this is unbeta’d and is just a huge brainfart ;;;; My mind just kept on jumping on different points so I apologize for all the typos and the mushiness. Thanks for reading!


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